Spring-mounted cycle hub with brake



F. WINKLER SPRING MOUNTED CYCLE .HUB WITH BRAKE June 11, 1935.

Filed Nov. 19, 1952 2 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor June 11, 1935. F. WINKLER SPRING mouman CYCLE HQB WITH BRAKE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 19, 1932 lnv entor Patented June 11, 1935 UNITED STATES 2,004,740 7 SPRING-MOUNTED CYCLE HUB wrrn mum:

Franz Winkler, Schweinflu't, Gems...

Application November- 19, 1932, Serial No. 843,308 In Germany November 20, 1931 Claims.

The invention relates to a vehicle wheel hub particularly for bicycles and motor cycles, and of the general type in which there is provided a bearing member upon which the hub is ro- 5 tatable, this bearing member being yieldingly and eccentrically mounted on the wheel axle so as to be pivotal with respect to said axle, the means for yieldingly supporting the bearing member including a spring.

One object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle wheel hub device having a brake which is so mounted and constructed as to permit the hub to have a great deal of springiness during its normal operations, and which so brakes the hub as to permit a predetermined rotation of the hub upon the application of the brake and a stopping of the hub against. rotation to prevent the spring from being overloaded or strained.

This object is attained by providing a stop on the bearing member which is in such a position in relation thereto as to permit the hub trated, by way of example, in the annexed draw-- ings, which form a part of this specification and in which- Fig. 1 is an axial sectional elevation of the {vehicle hub w'th the brake, on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2 represents a side view of the entire device and shows its mounting in the fork of a vehicle;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the brake on a larger scale;

Fig. 4 is an axial sectional elevation oi. the device in connection with another construction v of the brake on the line IV-IV of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 5 is an end view of the modified construction of the brake shown in Fig. 4, on a larger scale.

Like numerals refer to like or similar parts .throughout all figures of the drawings.

The spring hub in accordance with both embodiments shown as applied to the front wheel of a motor cycle comprises a bearing body 6 eccentrically rotatably mounted on the wheel axle 5 and provided at its ends with ball bear- 5 ings 1, and the wheel hub 8 carried by the bearing body 6 by means of the said ball bearings which hub is provided with a spoke flange and the housing or drum 9 of an internal brake.

The bearing body 6 is recessed from the side in 10 its middle part and the space so formed contains a powerful helical spring l0 placed around the axle 5 and one end of which is fastened to an annular piece ll non-rotatably connected to the axle while its other end is in engagement 5 with one of the end discs of the bearing body 6.

When unloaded, the spring tends to keep the bearing body on the axle in the position shown by Fig. 3 and in which position the center line or axis of the bearing body 6 is a slant below 20 the center line' or axis of the axle 5. Under load or jerks the axle descends so that its center line gets by the side of or below thecenter line of the said bearing body, in which case -the spring I0 is 'put under tension so as to have 25 the tendency to bring the several parts again ,into their initial position. A pointer plate 12 allows the correct adjustment of the bearing body in the cycle frame.

The brake located in the housing 9 of the hub 30 8 consists in the embodiment shown in Figs. 1-3, of an expansible cheek brake of the wellknown type, the cheeks or shoes It being pivotal about a trunnion l5. In the neutral position of the brake, a spring l6 draws the cheeks 35 towards each other so that they are prevented from contacting the housing 9. The trunnion I5 is secured to the inside of a disc 24 which is fastened to the adjacent end of the bearing body 6 and at the same time serves as a closing cover 40 of the housing 9. As usual in the case of such brakes, the cheeks are spread out by means of an eccentric or toggle II the pivot l8 of which can be turned by means of a lever l9 secured thereon in such a way that the cheeks 5 are withdrawn from each other and pressed on to housing 9. The lever I9 is operated by the driver with the aid of a Bowden cable the flexible guiding tube 20 of which is adjustably mounted at its end on a bracket 2| fastened to 50 the exterior face of the disc 24. The wire 22. guided within the tube 20 acts upon the 'free end of the lever l9. As, after the brake having been operated, the wheel would cany with it thebrake and the bearing body 8 when rotating, the disc 24 is further provided with a rubber-coated stop 23 which is caused to bear against the fork 21 during braking, as shown in dotted lines by Fig. 3 so as to prevent the brake from rotating. In the loaded condition of the wheel the step 23 ordinarily occupies a middle position between the two positions 23 and 23' so that'while the brake grows effective, the disc 24 and the bearing body 6 accomplish a very slight angular displacement only about the axle 5. During this angular displacement, the spring I already takes up a part of the torque of the hub so that the brake is acting rather softly.

The operation of the device is as follows. The spring I6 tends to maintain'the bearing body in such a position that the axle remains in about its highest position within the hub (Fig. 3) when the cycle is loaded, the bearing body turns in the hub so as to lower the axle correspondingly, while jerks produced by unevenness of the road or other causes make the wheel rise until the axle has reached its lowest position within the hub. Braking is accomplished by the brake cheeks ll being spread by means of the Bowden cable and lever I6 and pressed against the inside of the housing 9. As the disc 24 is rigidly mounted ,on the bearing body 6, the hub entrains the brake and the bearing body until the stop 23 has struck the back of the fork 21 as shown in Fig. 3 by dashed lines. This having been done, the brake and the bearing body are prevented from further turning and the braking pressure is transmitted to the fork.

I In the embodiment illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, the brake is so arranged that the device intended for operating the brake acts more efficiently. To this end the device referred to is attached to the tube 21 of the fork, the bracket 2| being fastened to a clip 26 which connects to the fork tube 21 the end of an arm 26 intended for'preventing the axle 5 from rotating. In this way the guiding tube 20 and the wire 22 are-directed towards the axle 5. Moreover the pivot l8 of the toggle I1 is mounted within a sleeve 25 carrying the buffer 23, and the arm I9 fastened tothe outer end of the pivot pin I8 is directed towards the center of the axle where the brake wire 22 engages with its free end. In the construction of Fig. 4, the axle at the left-hand ,end thereof is provided with grooves (indicated in dotted lines) communicating with a greasing device whereby suitable lubrication is supplied between the axle land the surface of the bearing member 6 contacting with said axle and may also be conducted into the interior of the hub 6.

This arrangement works in the following manner. During braking, which is started by the wire 22 being pulled whereupon the lever I9 causes the braking cheeks ll to bear against, the housing, the hub carries the brake and the bearing body 6 with it in the direction of the arrow v the invention is 1. In a vehicle wheel construction of the class described, an axle, a bearing member eccentrically mounted on said axle, a hub shell rotatable upon said bearing member, a brake drum connected to said hub shell, brake shoes carried by said bearing member, a brake applying lever pivotally supported on said bearing member at a point spaced from the axis of said shell, and extending substantially radially with respect to said hub shell, and a cable extending substantially radially with respect to said hub shell and connected to the free end of said'lever near the axis of said hub shell for operating said lever.

2. A device of the class described including a wheel axle, a bearing member eccentrically mounted on said axle and bodily rotatable thereon, a hub rotatable about said member and sup-' for applying spring resistance to the continuedrotation of said hub upon the operation of said braking dvice, thereby softening the braking shock.

3. A device of the class described including a wheel axle, a bearing member eccentrically mounted on said axle and bodily rotatable thereon, a spring for imparting resiliency to said hub is effected against the actionof said spring,

thereby softening the braking shock, and a stop mounted for movement with said bearing member, normally spaced from a relatively stationary portion of the device during driving operations and while said braking device is inoperative, and adapted to move into engagement with said stationary portion and against the action of said spring after the application of said braking device.

4. A device of the class described including a wheel axle, a bearing member eccentrically mounted on said axle and bodily rotatablethereon, spring means for imparting resiliency to the mounting between said bearing member and said axle whereby upon normal driving operations the bearing member will resiliently oscillate about said axle, a hub rotatable about said member and supported thereon, a brake drum connected to said hub for rotation therewith, brake shoes carried by said bearing member and rotatable therewith, whereby upon application of said brake shoes upon said drum the continued rotation of said hub is effected against the action of said spring means, thereby softening the braking shock, and means for applying said brake shoes to said brake drum and including a brake shoe applying lever pivotally supported on said bearing member at a point spaced from the axis of said hub, a cable pivotally connected to the free end of'said lever at a region a substantial distance from the axis of said hub for operating said lever,,and a guide member for said cable and connected to said bearing member.

5. A device of the class described including a wheel axle, .a bearing member eccentrically mounted on said axle and bodily rotatable thereon, spring means for imparting resiliency to the mounting between said bearing member and and rotatable therewith, whereby upon applica tion of said brake shoes upon said drum, the

continued rotation of said hub is effected against the action of said spring, thereby softening the braking shock.

FRANZ WINKLER. 

